Shoe shank support



Dec. 5, 1933. G|| BERT 1,937,560

SHOE SHANK SUPPORT Filed March 26 1931 INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 5 1933 1,937,560,, SHOE SHANK SUPPORT 7 Meyer 1). Gilbert, New York,- N. Y.

Application March 26,

1931. Serial N0. 525.407 Y 6 Claims. (01;. era-#76) This invention relates to accessories for shoes and is directed particularly to a device for supporting the arch of the foot. v

An object of this invention is to provide a de- 5 vice of the character described having highly improved means for readily mounting the same on, and dismounting the same from, the underside of the shoe adjacent the heel.

. A further object of this invention is to provide 10 a neat, compact and strong and durable device of the character described which shall be comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, easy, to manipulate, substantially hidden, from view in use, and withal practical and v In the accompanying drawing, in which is 25 shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of a shoe provided with an accessory embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3 22 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the accessory shown in Figs. 1 and2;, r V

Fig. 4 is a view similar to-Fig. 2 but showing a modified construction of the accessory; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring in detail to the drawing, designates a shoe, and 10a an accessory embodying the invention applied thereto. The shoe 10 com- 40 prises a heel 11, and a shank portion 12 adjacent thereto, the inner portion 13 of said shank being disposed beneath the arch of the foot. Said accessory 1012 may be attached to the underside of the shank l2 and adjacent the front edge 45 14 of the heel in the manner hereinafter described in detail. Said accessory 10a comprises a body 15 made of soft rubber or the like moldable resilient or compressible material, andis provided with a bottom face 16 preferably flush with the bottom surface of the heel, and with an upper surface 1'7 adapted to contact the undersurface 18 of the shank. The member 10a is further provided with a rear curved edge portion 19 adapted to contact the front curved edge portion 14 of the heel.

Said accessory. 10a may be of substantially triangular shape, the curved ap'ex' portion 20 thereof being disposed closer to the portion 13 of the shank, so as torsupport the arch of the foot. It will be noted that the sideedges 22 and 60 23 of said member 1011. converge from the heel inwardly away from the side'edges 24 and 25 of the shank whereby said member 10a is sub stantially hidden-from view when in use.

Improved means is providedfor attaching the 66 member 10a to the shoe. To this end there is. embedded within theblock 15, ahorizontal tube.

or sleeve 30, and disposed within said sleeve adjacent one end thereof is a small coiled tension spring 31. Said sleeve serves to protect and house 79.- the springand permits stretching ofthe spring therein. Attachedto one end of said spring is a bentwire member SZ'having a portion33parallel to the surface 18,0f the'shank, andextendingto the exterior of the body l5. Extending from said 76 portion 33 is a portion 34 perpendiculartosaid shank and extending substantially into contact therewith; Extending from-saidportion .34 is a portion 35 -adaptedtolie against saidshank, and terminating in .a hooked portion 36 'adaptedto g0 grip the side edge portion 24 of the shank. Attached to the other end of the spring-3l is a member 37. substantially similar to said member 82and likewise provided with a hooked portion 36a adapted to engage the edge portion. 25 of the $5 said shank. The end of the tube adjacent spring 31 is preferably formed with any apertured end wall 31a for anchoring one end of the spring. It

. will be noted that in attaching the; member 10a to the foot, one hook 36a may be first engaged so with the side edge 25 andthe body 15thenpulled toward the opposite edge 24 to permit the hook 36 to engage said latter side edge. The body 15 may then be pushed toward the edge portion 14 of the heel against which it snugly fits to provide a firm qfi and strong attachment to the shoe. I

In removing the member 10a from the foot, it is merely necessary to grasp the body 15 and move the same toward side edge 24 of the shoe to first disengage hook 36 and then move said body to the 100 opposite direction to disengage the other hook.

In Figs; 4 and 5 there is shown anaccessory of modified construction. Said accessory 50 com-. prises a block 51 made of two super-imposed soft rubber body portions 52 and 53. The upper por- 105 tion 52 is provided with a recess 54 having a plurality of parallel end walls 55 and 56. Said block 52 is further provided with a pair of slits 5 7 and 58 parallel to said end walls 55 and 56 respectively. A'pair of slits or undercuts 59 and 60 extending PATENT 1 66 have been set in position.

the lower surface '71 of the said block 52 and.

with portions '72 and '73; respectively contacting the outer side edges of said block. Extending from said portions 72, 73 are portions '74- and '75 contacting the upper surface of the shank and terminating in hooks '76 and 7'7 engaging the'side edges of the shank. The block 53 may be attached to the block 52 after the wire members 65,

further be provided with grooves 80 and 81 for receiving the portions 69 and '70 of said members and 66. The accessory 50 maybe attached ordetached from the shoe in the same manner as the accessory 10a. 7 I

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this inven tion are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment-above set forth, 'it is to be understood that all matter hereinset forth or shown in the accompanying drawing, is

is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a "35 limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A shoe accessory comprising a body made of 7 soft rubber and means for attaching the same to the underside-of the shank of avshoe, said means comprising a pair of hook members and resilient means interposed between said members to permit said members to be pulled apart and said body having a cavity for housing said resilient means.

The block "52 may 5 2. Incombination'with a shoe havinga heel and a shank portion, a substantially triangular shaped arch supporting member, and means for attaching said member to the underside of the shank and adjacent said heel, said means comprising a pair of'hook members adapted to engage opposite edges'of the shank of saidshoe, and a spring attached to said hook members and housed within said block.

3. In combination with a shoe having a heel and a shank portion, a substantially triangular shaped arch supporting member, and means for attaching said member to the underside of the shank and adjacent said heel, said means comprising a pair of hooked members and yieldable means interposed between said members and housed within said. members to permit the same to be pulled apart.

4. In combination with a block of soft rubber,

means for attaching the same to the undersurface of the shank of the shoe, said means comprising a'pair of members, each member having a portion parallel to said surface of said shank and disposed Within said block, a portion contacting said surface of said shank, a portion interconnecting said first two portions, and a hooked portion extending iromsaid, second portion adapted to engage a side edge of said shank. Y T

5. An accessory of the character described comprising a block of rubber having a pair of yieldable strips and means for attaching said'block to a shank of the shoe, said means comprising a pair of oppositely .disposed members having means for engaging said strips and means for engaging the side edges of said shank.

6. A shoe shank support comprising a block, and means for attaching the same-to the underside of a shank of a shoe, said means comprising a pair of hock members, a spring interconnecting said members to permit said members to be pulled apart, and a tubular member within said block housing saidspring.

MEYER D. GILBERT. 

